Reilly's Oak Whiskey Red | Twisted Pine Brewing Company

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A - Pours a deep dark brown color with amber highlights. Off white/mocha head formation, breaks down to a film with little lacing.

S - Light barrel flavors come through, caramel and some vanilla. Lightly malty in the background, more of a brown ale base.

T - Starts off with a light amount of caramel and toffee, and then in comes some whiskey flavors. Almost like it was added directly, it comes through very clear. Some oaky flavors through the mid-stream, little hopping. Finishes very clean with a light sweetness and some alcohol warmth.

My wife picked me up a bottle of this from the local co-op when she was grocery shopping. Poured into a pint glass, the beer pours a deep, crystal clear blood-ruby coloring with a thick, chunky off-white head packed densely with small, tight bubbling. The nose is slightly boozey and thickly sweet, with some caramel-toffee aromas. The beer has a slight sour initial punch to the taste, but that quickly settles out on the palate, bringing forth darkly sweet flavors of toffee and molasses, with some oak and alcohol characteristics peeking in here and there. The beer remains light, and somewhat oily slick, as you drink. The oak comes through again on the aftertaste, as well as a rich, smokey flavor and a slight souring again. The finish is bitter, and slightly sour, and has an astringent quality to it. Good flavors throughout, but a little unbalanced at times, and the body of the beer doesn't quite fit with the flavors at times, but it is nice that the brew remains fairly light bodied throughout. Interesting brew.

Pours a deep red color with two fingers of head that quickly fade away. The smell is very nice. The whiskey really comes out on the nose, along with some nice hops and oak. The whiskey flavors really come out heavy on the taste at first, followed up by some oak flavors and a touch of hop flavors and some mellow malts. Very nice.

This brew really ends up being more than the sum of it's parts. This is a great brew that's just enjoyable to drink, especially as far as barrel-aged brews go. This is basically a "session beer" for barrel-aging fans. Recommended.

T-hmm not sure what the aim was for this beer, but Twisted Pine missed it. it comes in with sweet licorice that tastes stale. it then goes to a tartness that reminds me of a flanders ale. its quite bitter on the tongue. there seems to be a lack of strong after-taste...maybe some sweet caramel. drinking this with out thinking is the way to go, i found it much more enjoyable when i wasn't examining it

M-medium to heavy carbonation with a fairly dry finish

D-its not an awful drinker. it goes down very easily. it isn't something i imagine getting anytime soon. i do wonder what the ABV is though! If its high, then they hid it well.

A - Pours with one finger of off-white foam on top of an amber-brown body with good clarity. The head settles quickly and leaves little lace.

S - Lots of boozy whiskey character in the aroma with some chocolate and molasses in the background.

T - Strong barrel flavors of vanilla and whiskey up front with a slightly tart caramel malt flavor. The vanilla and toasted oak keep coming in the middle with some cherry notes that are accentuated by the tartness of the malt. The beer finishes with notes of cherries, vanilla, molasses, whiskey, and a hint of tobacco.

D - Man, this beer is something strange. The barrel character is very strong, almost overwhelming and while there are a lot of complexities to the flavor, each of which might be pleasant on its own, they really don't seem to work well together. The tartness is a really odd touch, it doesn't quite taste like it is infected, but it is really out of place in this beer and I can't help but think it is the result of poor aging practices. It is just a really strange beer, it says it won a GABF gold in 2007; if that is the case either the beer has changed significantly in the last few years, or the standards for barrel aging have gone way up because I can't see the beer I'm drinking winning an award at a state fair, much less the GABF.

I was a lot more impressed with this beer on tap than at home. Not sure if it was the amount I had had already or what. There isn't much depth to it. It's not bold by any means. It thinks about being sour and then decides to let it last for only two seconds. The oak doesn't come through to much. I was a bit disappointed at home.

Poured from a bottle into a standard American pint glass. There is a very thin, somewhat yellowish head which recedes quickly leaving essentially no lacing.

The nose comes on stronger at first, but disappears with the head. I pick up on a little bit of the bourbon and oak, with a general sour cherry sweetness. After the head recedes and the nose diminishes, the only prominent characteristic that remains is the tangy sweetness.

The whiskey flavor is barely present, but it does hint at a nice undertone. The tangy cherry is by far the most prominent tone, first sweet then sour as it moves across the palate. Maybe a little caramel/toffee somewhere in there but it gets lost. The oakiness is also minimal, but it provides a sort of funky bitterness which is very distinct from hoppy bitterness and not at all unpleasant.

Twisted Pine's brews can sometimes seem like beer soda to me, and this beer is quite carbonated but I don't find it distracting or overpowering. It actually forces one to drink a little slower, although it does certainly mask the flavor profile somewhat.

The carbonation holds me back a little, and so does the prominent sour tang. It's fairly tasty but I wouldn't drink more than two at a time partly due to the unmerited price and in part because I can't find any ABV information anywhere.

Pours a murky rddish brown. Tons and tons of head. Almost a gusher. Smells pretty non descript at first but as it warms up i get tons of maple syrup sweetness on the nose. Oak is strong on the tongue. A bit thin and lacking but fairly drinkable ... Really surprised to see this one gold at the great ameerican beer fest

I am really curious to know the ABV on this beer. My guess is 7%. The carbonation level seems ok but the mouthfeel is really thin, almost watery. Some vanilla, some sweetness present. The flavors are awkward and don't seem harmonious. A fairly long finish which surprises me.

There is a slight alcohol burn in the finish.

I picked this up as a 12oz single. I love barrel aged beer and it caught my attention on the shelf. It is not obvious that it is a Twisted Pine beer. I wasn't going to review it till I saw that it only had 21 reviews.

The first time I saw this one, I was excited to try it; I was, however, turned off by the price (oh the days, not too long ago, when a $3.50 bottle was outrageously priced). Finally picked up a 4 pack on sale, and was instantly disappointed. Oaky, with sweet malt, vanilla and a little whiskey. This one was ultimately, unfortuneately, way too sweet for me to enjoy. Nice effort, but not for me.

Starting the drinking day off with this directive from VDubb. It's gonna be interesting when we finally re-combine our efforts in a couple weeks. This guy pours a hazy soup of garnet topped by a thick finger of cream-colored and -textured foam. The nose comprises whiskey, hot cinnamon, oak, toffee, booze, and a healthy dollop of maple syrup. The taste tones these elements down, though they are all still present, forming a collection that's blander than expected. In addition, a good amount of orange-peel bitterness has crept its way in, colonizing frantically. The body is a slightly light medium, with a heavy moderate carbonation and a somewhat crisp finish. Overall, a tasty brew, but the flavors don't quite meld and pop, and it's a bit on the light and fizzy side. A definite recommendation, but a slight disappointment for me.

Sent to me by the very generous flandersned! I think Steve has indicated that this was bottled about 16 months ago, which is on top of the two years it was aged in the oak whiskey barrels. Gold medal winner at the 2007 GABF, very nice.

The small number of people who have reviewed this beer seem to have rather polarized opinions...I am intrigued.

A: Big rocky white head that stays around for awhile underneath a ruddy red body. Best lacing I've ever seen. Ten minutes later and there are still heaps of foam on the sides. I'm not talking about thin traces of foam, I'm talking three dimensional heaps. Heaps I say!

S: Definitely getting some whiskey bourbon. Also some caramel toffee notes reminiscent of good english barleywines.

T: Starts off with a small sweet sour tingle. Bourbon comes in right after, not overpowering, but very present. On some sips it's a backbone and the toffee flavor shines through, on other sips the bourbon is front and center. Towards the middle I get some of the oakiness. Flavors die away towards the end, and there is not much of an aftertaste to speak of.

M: On the stronger side, but I think it's appropriate for the flavors.

D: It goes down pretty easily, though I'm getting a little tired of the flavor as I make my way through it.

Perhaps this has to do with the aging, but the "red" part of this beer is all but gone. The flavors are good, it's just one-dimensional. This would be an excellent beer to bring to a tasting.

Taste: toasted malt, some hops, whiskey, toffee, and a great oak taste on the end

Mouthfeel: smooth, light, moderate carbonation, a nice mix of bitter and sweetness throughout

Drinkability: I wish I bought more of this brewery when I was out west. I love the oak and whiskey taste. I have not had this strong an oak taste with an amber before. I think the most I could have is two in a night, but I would love to get a six.

Red and hazy with a large amount of carbonation. Dense latte like head that was much too much to start but quickly dissipates. Sour cherries aroma along with some caramel sweetness. Big bite from the carbonation. Caramel predominates in the taste, then comes sour. Sweetness lasts through the middle. Finishing with an unpleasant clash between sour and bitter. Some of the whiskey barrel aging is noticeable in the aroma and taste, but not as much as I'd have wanted. Medium to thin mouthfeel.

This barrel aged treat is yet another brew sent my ay thanks to russpowell, thanks again for the great trades Russ! O'Reilly's Oak Whiskey Red is just that, filling my pint glass with a rich amber beer and perfect clarity. Streams of carbonation rush to the surface from multiple points on the glass. Three fingers of beige head formed easily and when finally settled fell no less than a big fat puffy fingers worth of clump. Great head retention and chunky lacing stay behind in and on the glass.

The nose on this beer is strange and not at all expected. There's not much bourbon at all in this beer but what's there is faintly sweet and mildly vanilla. Toasty grains lay down the base and a mismatched hop profile jumps to the front. The hopping brings a good deal of citrus but all the different aspects struggle against each other and the malt backbone. Caramel sweetness pops up here and there.

The flavor profile brings along a little more bourbon than I expected but it's still very faint. Minimal bourbon sweetness, weak vanilla, and caramel maltiness take charge in this brew and surprisingly none of them are that focused or to the point. The hop profile isn't as pungent as the nose suggested and strangely enough what's there seems almost watered down. Now don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad beer, it just seems unfocused.

For some reason this beer is all around on the weak side, body included. The weight is much lighter than expected, and needed while the carbonation is too lively for the small body. Each drink pushes through too quickly to enjoy and there's just not enough weight.

Drinkability is hurt by all the unfocused muddled flavors. The body doesn't lend itself to being all that enjoyable either. Each mouthful seems to be a quick flash of flavor and then it's gone.

Like I said earlier, this beer isn't offensive but the flavors butt heads and never seems to co-exist. I would pass on this brew in the future with all the other options out there. Thanks for the trade Russ!

In 12oz bottle. Poured a dark reddish color, smelled of whiskey, slightly hoppy and malty. Taste of whiskey was much stronger in this year's batch compared to last years, making it a stronger and better tasting beer in my opinion. Tastes of malt, hops, some citrus and whiskey (a good amount, not overpowering). Glad I got to try this beer again and that it seems to have made an improvement from last years (which was also good).

Presentation: 12 oz short botlte, came in a 4 pack. Label has a picture of the brewery's resident dog laying in front of some barrels. No date.

Appearance: Pours cloudy red color, huge froth head that fades slowly and leaves quite a bit of lacing as it does.

Smell: Sour, lots of vanilla, some oaky smells I normally associate with bourbon.

Taste: Again, definitely lots of bourbon flavor here - vanilla and oak. But there is also an interesting fruit flavor in the background, less dark fruit than I would expect, almost a citrus or tropical flavor.

Overall impression: I'm a bourbon fan, and really enjoy this beer. If you don't enjoy bourbon flavors, you won't enjoy this - but I think there are a lot of interesting flavors here to be enjoyed.

Sit dog, sit. Pours a mostly clear darker ruby red color with some brown hues throughout. A big bubbled head that quickly dissipated to the edge and eventually faded completely. Not much lacing.

The nose is noticeably oaky but lacks any beer descriptors. A mostly woody aroma with some off whiskey notes. A touch of vanilla. There are some yeasty notes though. Some noticeable esters, plums, cherrys and figs. No real malt notes though.

The taste is more in balance. The malt comes out with a sugary caramel notes coming out nicely. Some toasted notes that are boarder line astringent but not bad. The oak is present as well but not as dominate as the nose indicated. Some off whiskey notes as well, gives some heat flavor. Almost like a cheap whiskey flavor. Some esters and heat from the yeast.

Body is moderate. A somewhat sugary feel but not under attenuated. Carbonation is light. Overall for the oak presence in this one, there just needs to have more complexity and depth.

As another advocate has pointed out: If you are not a fan of bourbon then you might want to stay away from this beer.

A hard pour doesn't get much head in my glass. what little is there doesn't stay around much, it quickly ending as a thin ring where the beer meets the glass. A hazy dark amber color with some carbonation.

The scent is a very faint bourbon odor. I know from past tastings (both bottle and on tap) that sometimes it is very strong or can go the opposite direction.

Flavors or bourbon, vanilla, and even a bit of caramel comes from the first sip. The oaked bourbon lingers in the back on the throat and tongue. It is very smooth. The bottle doesn't say what the actual ABV is but since it is just Twisted Pine's Red Mountian scottish ale aged differently that the two are about the same in levels. While the beer tastes strong and the flavor lingers a while in my mouth, it doesn't feel overpowering.

I love this beer. This and other beers like it have me interestedin bourbon while it has also giving me a way to show off great craft beers to bourbon lovers. A coworker of mine after sampling a bottle is hooked and has me looking for more exceptional bourbon aged beers.